Sabino Canyon is a significant canyon located in the

Santa Catalina Mountains The Santa Catalina Mountains, commonly referred to as the Catalina Mountains or the Catalinas, are north and northeast of Tucson in Arizona, United States, on Tucson's north perimeter. The mountain range is the most prominent in the Tucson area, w ...

and the

Coronado National Forest The Coronado National Forest is a United States National Forest that includes an area of about 1.78 million acres (7,200 km2) spread throughout mountain ranges in southeastern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico. It is located in parts of C ...

north of Tucson, Arizona, United States. Sabino Canyon is a popular recreation area for residents and visitors of

Southern Arizona Southern Arizona is a region of the United States comprising the southernmost portion of the State of Arizona. It sometimes goes by the name Gadsden or Baja Arizona, which means "Lower Arizona" in Spanish. Geography Although Southern Arizona ...

, providing a place to walk, hike or ride. Minutes away from the desert are large waterfalls along Sabino Creek with minor bridges constructed over them. Wildlife in the canyon includes a range of animals. Some of which are deer,

javelina A peccary (also javelina or skunk pig) is a medium-sized, pig-like hoofed mammal of the family Tayassuidae (New World pigs). They are found throughout Central and South America, Trinidad in the Caribbean, and in the southwestern area of North ...

skunks Skunks are mammals in the family Mephitidae. They are known for their ability to spray a liquid with a strong, unpleasant scent from their anal glands. Different species of skunk vary in appearance from black-and-white to brown, cream or ginge ...

, tortoises, rattlesnakes and

mountain lions The cougar (''Puma concolor'') is a large cat native to the Americas. Its range spans from the Canadian Yukon to the southern Andes in South America and is the most widespread of any large wild terrestrial mammal in the Western Hemisphere. I ...

. Like most places in Arizona, there are also owls, and scorpion which are very common in Tucson hiking trails.

History and formation

The history of Sabino Canyon began with the formation of the

over 12 million years ago. Around 5 million B.C., the mountains ceased formation around the Tucson valley. Present-day varieties of plant life first appeared between 6,000 and 8,000 years ago, and some of the earliest human occupants of Sabino Canyon were the Native American

Hohokam Hohokam () was a culture in the North American Southwest in what is now part of Arizona, United States, and Sonora, Mexico. It existed between 300 and 1500 AD, with cultural precursors possibly as early as 300 BC. Archaeologists disagree about ...

people. The

1887 Sonora earthquake The 1887 Sonora earthquake occurred at 22:13 UCT on 3 May in the Teras mountain range of northwestern Mexico. It was widely felt, with some damage being recorded up to from the epicenter in both Mexico and the United States. The earthquake had a ...

dislodged massive boulders lining the canyon walls, which came to rest in the valley below. In 1905 the newly created

U.S. Forest Service The United States Forest Service (USFS) is an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 154 national forests and 20 national grasslands. The Forest Service manages of land. Major divisions of the agency inc ...

began administering Sabino Canyon. During the Great Depression, the

Works Progress Administration The Works Progress Administration (WPA; renamed in 1939 as the Work Projects Administration) was an American New Deal agency that employed millions of jobseekers (mostly men who were not formally educated) to carry out public works projects, i ...

(WPA) and Emergency Relief Administration (ERA) built Sabino Dam and nine bridges over Sabino Creek in an attempt to build a road to the top of Mount Lemmon. The road travels about 4.5 miles into the canyon, but was not completed due to the steep terrain at the end of the canyon.

Shuttle

The first Shuttle in Sabino Canyon began operating in October, 1978. From that point forward, access by cars was restricted to allow visitors to reach Upper Sabino Canyon by foot, bicycle or Shuttle. Sabino Canyon Tours was founded in May 1985 and provides visitors the opportunity to experience the noted beauty of Sabino Canyon. The Shuttle was cancelled by the current US government in 2018 and reopened in March 2019, with closed-in electric shuttlebuses set to replace the former open scenic Shuttles. Summer/Fall 2019 is expected to see the return of new open scenic Shuttle all electrically run.

Flooding

On July 31, 2006, flooding from a thunderstorm washed out the bridge at Rattlesnake Creek (just beyond mile marker 1 and shuttle stop #1), restricting the tram to the road below this point. Many portions of the roadway above Rattlesnake Creek also received damage from the flooding, including silt and debris scattered onto it. Tram service was completely restored, with the tram being able to complete all nine stops.

Funding

Federal funding has increasingly not kept pace with the pressures that urbanization and over a million visitors a year have placed on Sabino Canyon. Friends of Sabino Canyon, an independent non-profit organization, was founded in 1993 to raise additional funds to preserve and enhance Sabino Canyon. Friends of Sabino Canyon has provided nearly $500,000 for projects in Sabino Canyon, including trail rehabilitation in the aftermath of the

Aspen Fire The Aspen Fire burned from June 17, 2003, for about a month on Mount Lemmon, part of the Santa Catalina Mountains located in the Coronado National Forest north of Tucson, Arizona, and in the surrounding area. It burned (132.4 sq mi) of land, a ...

, a water well, educational exhibits in the visitor center, new entrance plaza facilities, research into

bat Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera.''cheir'', "hand" and πτερόν''pteron'', "wing". With their forelimbs adapted as wings, they are the only mammals capable of true and sustained flight. Bats are more agile in flight than most bi ...

amphibians Amphibians are four-limbed and ectothermic vertebrates of the class Amphibia. All living amphibians belong to the group Lissamphibia. They inhabit a wide variety of habitats, with most species living within terrestrial, fossorial, arbore ...

and reptiles, and the restoration of the original Lowell House Ranger Station and the historic depression-era bridges and other stonework. Friends of Sabino Canyon holds an outdoor holiday concert, Music in the Canyon, every year to raise funds for its work, and its major donors are recognized on hand-painted tiles at the entrance to Sabino Canyon, reflecting a variety of southwestern themes.

Gallery

Bear Canyon Trail at Sabino Canyon.jpg, Bear Canyon Trail Sabino creek, Tucson.jpg, Sabino Creek Sabino Canyon Tucson Arizona.jpg, Sabino Canyon in winter Sabino canyon SW01.jpg, Sabino Creek passing over striated rock formation

References

External links

Friends of Sabino Canyon

Coronado National Forest

Birding Sabino Canyon

Hiking Sabino Canyon

Geology and Geological Hazards Field Trip of Sabino Canyon: Results of the July 2006 Storms
{{authority control Santa Catalina Mountains Canyons and gorges of Arizona Geography of Tucson, Arizona Rivers of Pima County, Arizona Landmarks in Tucson, Arizona Protected areas of Pima County, Arizona Tourist attractions in Tucson, Arizona Coronado National Forest Rivers of Arizona